Teaching center to open at George Mason University

Fairfax-based George Mason University will be home to a teaching center starting next summer.

The Virginia Center for Excellence in Teaching will admit 100 teachers per year and guide them on topics such as instruction, education policy and leadership.

The center will conduct four five-day residential summer academies in 2014 with each academy enrolling 25 teachers. Two academies in June will focus on the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and the humanities and language arts. Academies in July will focus on the fine arts and interdisciplinary studies.

Participating teachers will earn five graduate credit hours, with three credits earned in the summer during the academy and two credits earned through online learning and a conference during the following school year.

Teachers must hold a five-year renewable Virginia license, be employed by a Virginia school division, have a minimum of five years of successful teaching experience, and have a consistent record of effective instruction and demonstrated leadership ability, according to a news release.

The Virginia General Assembly approved $220,000 for the project.

Elizabeth Sturtevant will serve as director of the Virginia Center for Excellence in Teaching. Sturtevant heads GMU’s division of elementary, literacy and secondary education and teaches literacy education and teacher leadership classes.
To find out more about the program, email cehd@gmu.edu.